Cookie Dough Blondies
These Cookie Dough Blondies combine two desserts I can never resist: dense, buttery white chocolate blondies and soft edible cookie dough. I wanted the blondie layer to stay chewy and rich without becoming overly sweet or greasy, while still holding plenty of cookie dough throughout the bars. After a few rounds of testing and eating too much cookie dough, this version ended up being exactly what I was looking for.
The blondie base has that shiny, chewy texture, while the cookie dough stays soft and creamy both inside and on top of the bars. This recipe uses actual edible cookie dough baked right into the blondies, with extra cookie dough spread over the top after baking for even more texture and flavor. If you love layered dessert bars like my Almond Croissant Blondies, Cookies and Cream Blondies, or Biscoff Blondies, these have that same rich bakery-style texture that somehow gets even better after chilling overnight. And if you’re a cookie-dough person like I am, you’ll probably also love my Edible Cookie Dough and Cookie Dough Cheesecake recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Dense and chewy blondies with a shiny top.
- Soft edible cookie dough baked inside and spread on top.
- Made with melted white chocolate for extra richness.
- The cookie dough stays soft and creamy for days.
- Easy to make ahead and even better the next day.
- Perfect if you love recipes like my Cookie Dough Cheesecake or Biscoff Blondies.
Key Ingredients for the Blondie Base
This recipe is kind of split in two, with a blondie base and an edible cookie dough that is spread throughout
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For the blondie base, I use…
White Chocolate: The melted white chocolate gives the blondies a rich flavor and helps create that dense, chewy texture. Use real white chocolate with cocoa butter for the best results. I don’t recommend candy melts here.
Extra Egg Yolk: The additional yolk adds richness and helps keep the blondies soft and fudgy instead of cakey.
Ingredients for the Edible Cookie Dough
Brown Sugar: The brown sugar in the cookie dough keeps it soft and gives it that classic cookie dough flavor, similar to the filling in my Edible Cookie Dough recipe.
Heat-Treated Flour: Since part of the cookie dough is spread on top after baking, the flour needs to be heat-treated first so it’s safe to eat.
Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips work best because they distribute more evenly throughout the cookie dough and make slicing easier.
How to Make Cookie Dough Blondies
This recipe is a little more complicated than something like my Pistachio Blondies or Coffee Blondies, so follow along with me step by step!
Step 1: Prep & Blondie Batter
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. If your oven tends to run hot, or if you’re using convection or gas, reduce the temperature to 325°F instead. Grease and line an 8-inch square metal pan with parchment paper. I don’t recommend using a glass pan because the edges tend to overbake before the center finishes baking.
To make the blondie batter, combine the butter and white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Melt them together either in the microwave in short intervals or over a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and whisk well. At this stage the mixture may look separated or oily, but that’s completely normal.
Step 2: Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Once the eggs are incorporated, the batter should look smoother and more emulsified. Add the extra yolk and vanilla extract and whisk again.
Step 3: Add the flour and salt
Fold in the flour and salt with a spatula just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter once the flour goes in or the blondies can become tough. I use a very similar mixing method in my Cookies and Cream Blondies because it helps keep the texture dense and chewy instead of cakey.
Step 4: Reserve some batter and spread it out
Reserve about ½ cup of batter, then spread the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Smooth it into an even layer and place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the cookie dough. Chilling the batter briefly helps prevent the cookie dough balls from immediately sinking during baking.
Step 5: Heat treat the flour for the cookie dough
For the cookie dough, start by heat-treating the flour. You can do this either in the microwave or in the oven until the flour reaches 160°F. Let it cool before using.
Step 6: Beat the butter and brown sugar together
Beat the butter and brown sugar together for about 3 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing for another minute until smooth.
Step 7: Add the remaining ingredients
Mix in the vanilla, salt, and milk. Add the cooled heat-treated flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Fold in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula.
Step 8: Add the cookie dough to the blondies
Remove the blondie pan from the refrigerator. Scoop about 12 to 14 portions of cookie dough using a standard cookie scoop and arrange them evenly over the blondie batter. The dough balls will sit on top at first, but they’ll settle slightly into the blondies as they bake. Drizzle the reserved blondie batter over the top. It’s okay if the cookie dough isn’t fully covered, it will all melt together in the oven.
Step 9: Bake!
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted into the blondie portion comes out clean. If the top starts browning too quickly before the center is done, loosely tent the pan with foil for the remaining bake time.
Step 10: Let cool and spread the remaining cookie dough
Let the blondies cool completely. Once cooled, spread the remaining cookie dough over the top before slicing. I find it easiest to spread while the blondies are still slightly warm, but not hot enough to melt the dough. Slice into bars and serve!
Expert Tips
Here are some foolproof tips to make sure you succeed!
- It’s better to slightly underbake the blondies than slightly overbake, especially if you want an extra gooey center.
- Chill the bars before slicing for cleaner layers.
- Use a kitchen scale for the flour measurements if possible.
- Too much flour can make both layers dry.
- Don’t skip reserving some cookie dough for the top layer. It gives the bars that bakery-style finish.
- If your white chocolate seizes while melting, add a small spoonful of butter and stir gently over low heat.
- Let the blondies cool fully before topping with the remaining cookie dough so the dough doesn’t melt or separate.
- If you love extra texture in blondies as I do in my Almond Croissant Blondies and Biscoff Blondies, try adding a sprinkle of flaky salt before serving.
Storage
Store the blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving so the cookie dough softens slightly again.
You can also freeze the bars for up to 2 months. I like to slice them first and freeze the bars individually for easier serving.
Variations
Here are some ways you can customize this recipe to match whatever you’re craving!
- Swap the mini chocolate chips for chopped dark chocolate, or peanut butter chips!
- Add toasted pecans or walnuts to the blondie batter.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before serving.
- Use browned butter in the blondie layer for a deeper caramel flavor.
- Add crushed Oreos or Biscoff cookies to the cookie dough, similar to my Cookies and Cream Blondies and Biscoff Blondies.
- Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top after chilling.
FAQ
Yes. Since some of the cookie dough is added after baking, the flour should be heat treated first for food safety.
Yes. I actually think they taste even better the next day once the layers have fully settled and chilled.
Usually this happens if the blondie batter is too warm or thin. Chilling the batter briefly before assembling helps prevent this.
Yes. You can bake it in a 9×13-inch metal pan. The bake time will likely increase slightly.
More Recipes You Might Like
I already mentioned a lot of my other blondie recipes throughout this post, but make sure to also try my Cinnamon Roll Blondies, Pecan Pie Blondies, and White Chocolate Brownies. And if cookie dough desserts are your thing, my Edible Cookie Dough and Cookie Dough Ice Cream are always some of my favorite recipes to make when I want something extra nostalgic and indulgent.
Share with me!
If you make these Cookie Dough Blondies, I’d love to hear what you think! They’re one of those recipes that somehow get even better after a night in the fridge, and I already know I’ll be making them again whenever I’m craving something nostalgic and extra indulgent.
If you try them, be sure to leave a rating and review below. Your reviews really help support my recipes and help other readers know what to expect. And if you share your blondies on Instagram, make sure to tag me so I can see your creations! I always love seeing your bakes, especially when you put your own spin on recipes like these.
Cookie Dough Blondies
Ingredients
Blondie Batter
- 1¼ cup white chocolate, chopped 212g
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 170g
- 1 cup white granulated sugar 200g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 255g
- ¼ tsp salt
Cookie Dough
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 191g
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 170g
- ¾ cup brown sugar 165g
- ¾ cup powdered sugar 94g
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 cups mini chocolate chips 170g
Instructions
Blondie Base
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. If your oven runs hot, or if it's convection or gas, set it to 325ºF instead. Grease and line a 8×8” square metal pan with parchment paper. Don’t use a glass pan as it can bake unevenly.
- To make the batter, mix the unsalted butter and white chocolate in a large bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler to melt them together. Microwave for 15 to 30 second increments, stirring in between until the chocolate has melted completely with the butter. If using a double boiler, make sure the bowl is heat-proof, and place it over a pan with simmering water, and whisk the mixture until the chocolate and butter have melted together.
- Add the granulated sugar to the melted white chocolate/butter mixture. Whisk all together. The mixture will seem separated. That’s okay. Once you start adding the eggs, it will emulsify and come together
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Add the final egg yolk along with the vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Fold with a spatula. Pour almost all the batter into the prepared pan, reserving ½ cup.
- Smooth out with a spatula and place the pan in the fridge while you make the cookie dough. This will prevent the cookie dough from sinking all to the bottom when baking later.
Cookie Dough
- Heat treat the flour. You can use the oven or the microwave method.
- Oven method: Pre-heat the oven to 300ºF, spread the flour on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring in between, until the flour reaches 160ºF. Microwave method: Place the flour in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 second increments, stirring in between, until it reaches 160ºF. Let it cool down.
- Meanwhile beat the butter with the brown sugar for 3 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl in between.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat for another minute.
- Pour in the vanilla, salt, milk, mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour and mix on low to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold with a spatula.
To Assemble
- Remove the blondie pan from the fridge.
- Scoop 12 to 14 balls of cookie dough using a regular-size cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons each). Distribute the cookie dough balls evenly over the blondie batter.
- They won’t sink at first, and that’s okay. As the blondies bake, the dough balls will spread out and settle into the batter.
- Top with the remaining ½ cup of blondie batter. The cookie dough balls don’t need to be completely covered. The blondie batter will rise as it bakes, and the cookie dough will sink slightly.
- Cover the remaining cookie dough with plastic so it doesn’t dry out or form a skin. We will spread it on top of the blondies before serving.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the blondies look set around the edges and on top, and a toothpick inserted into the blondies comes out without wet batter on it.
- If the blondies are browning too much on top before the center is fully baked, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking until done.
- Remove from the oven and let the blondies cool down.
- Once the blondies have cooled, spread the rest of the cookie dough on top. It helps if the blondies are still slightly warm, as the cookie dough will stick more easily. However, if the cookie dough starts melting, let the blondies cool a bit longer before continuing.
- Slice and serve!